A Third Space Where Children Feel Safe to Play, Create, and Express Themselves
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
By Playeum
Imagine a red shipping container nestled among HDB flats. Through its door and glass panels, children gather around tables, sitting and standing, laughing and chatting as they work on their creations. Nearby, others sit on the floor, absorbed in drawing on a large sheet of mahjong paper.
Outside, a group of boys runs toward an open court. One carries a cardboard lion head, the others boxes and a dustbin. Soon, they beat on them with fallen branches in a familiar rhythm. One boy slips under the lion head, dancing while another forms its agile body. One had learned the moves from his father, a professional lion dance performer, and brought the others into the performance. They plan to showcase it to the other children later in the afternoon.
Adult facilitators move gently through the scene, observing, listening, and joining conversations. A girl in her school uniform walks in and greets the adults. There, she continues crafting menu items for her cafe with fabric and cardboard, picking up from where she had left off the previous week.
This is a typical Friday afternoon programme at Clubhouse@ Jalan Bukit Merah, managed by social service agency SHINE Children and Youth Services (SHINE), alongside other collective partners.
The children are part of Artful Play, a community programme run by Playeum for children aged 6 to 12 living in nearby HDB rental flats.
A Third Space, and Why It Matters
Since 2023, Playeum has partnered with SHINE as part of a larger collective effort to uplift children and youths from low-income families residing in Spooner Road and Bukit Merah. At the time, the Clubhouse had just been established. SHINE wanted to support children in developing social-emotional skills, and Playeum stepped in.
The partnership began with a 16-week pilot featuring STEAM and design-thinking play sessions. Over time, the team realised children needed more consistent support. Playeum later received three years of funding from MSF Comlink+ provided by NCSS Community Chest to continue the work.
Today, Artful Play helps children build social-emotional skills, self-confidence, and positive values. The programme supports those facing challenges at home or school, nurtures their potential and growth, while connecting them to a wider community of care, resources, and opportunities.
It provides safe indoor and outdoor spaces for children to move, play, and create in ways they often cannot at home, where living spaces are small and shared (Ang, 2023; Channel NewsAsia, 2023). Each week, 15 to 20 children attend, some returning regularly over the years.
Sociologists call spaces like this “third spaces” — places outside home and school where children can socialise, learn, and be themselves (Oldenburg, 1989). The positive benefits can be long-lasting (Hooper et al., 2015). In a time when loneliness and social isolation are growing concerns in Singapore, these spaces are increasingly vital (Cheah, 2026; Stona et al., 2025).
Participation in Artful Play is free, and children have a say in what they do and how they do it during activity time. The programme is currently facilitated by two Playmakers, Ngiam Li Yi and Fidelia Lim, with support from volunteers and a SHINE Social Work Associate. It runs every Friday from 3pm to 5pm, though some children often arrive earlier after school.
“Many children want to come back to the programme and make an effort to remember it, including those who face difficulties in school,” Li Yi said. Over time, the Playmakers noticed that making, such as art, games, and creative projects, became a major motivation. “Some children don’t have art materials at home, so they ask for more time to make things here,” she added.
Play as Possibility
Rather than dictating activities, Playmakers provide invitations and materials that spark curiosity. One session introduced three long sticks, and a boy transformed them into a sniper gun, letters and numbers, and even a mini ramp. “It reminded me of how simple play can be,” Li Yi said.
Play and art give children a way to express feelings they may not have words for. “Even as adults, we sometimes can’t put emotions into words,” Fidelia said. “Children can show what they feel through colour, texture, or what they create. It’s a non-threatening way for them to be listened to and heard.”
“Children may not always want to share in detail what happened,” she added. “They just want to say, “This is all I want to share. This is my art.””
Storytelling sessions using puppets also helped children process real-life experiences, such as friendship tensions or learning to apologise, through narratives they created themselves.
Children Shape the Space
Each new term of the programme begins with a ‘Community Agreement’, where some new children join the programme and participate in setting the tone. Children discuss behaviours they hope everyone will follow. Agreements are written and displayed as a reminder of the shared expectations.
“Some things they share come from experiences elsewhere that they don’t want here,” Hafizah, Project Lead, said, referring to incidents such as bullying or the use of rude words. “It’s not just for them, it’s for the adults too.”
Through this process, children learn accountability and empathy. They support each other, noticing when someone’s words or actions might hurt, and build the language to express care.
Community ‘Teachers’: The Eyes and Ears
Children often affectionately call Playmakers and volunteers “teachers,” though there is no fixed curriculum. Activities are guided by children’s emerging interests. Li Yi explained that what remains constant is creating a safe psychological space. “It means being intentional about how we speak and interact so children feel safe.”
Through play, adults notice how children express themselves, recognising that behaviours can be meaningful signals of what a child is experiencing and needs. “What we see is often just the tip of the iceberg,” Hafizah said. Adults focus on listening to and supporting children rather than immediately correcting behaviour, helping them develop self-regulation.
“For a child to self-regulate, they first need co-regulation with someone,” Hafizah said. “When adults model managing their emotions, such as taking deep breaths or stepping away, it shows children there can be different ways to regulate their feelings.”
She described this approach as a ‘toolbox’: “We may not be able to change their everyday environments, but children practise safer behaviours here and carry these skills into their lives.”
In play, children often open up and may share concerns they haven’t voiced to social workers or family members. When complex needs arise or further intervention is required, the Playeum team raises these concerns with SHINE’s social work team, always with the child’s knowledge. This ensures children not only receive the right support but also remain aware of what is happening, allowing them to have a voice even in vulnerable situations.
Hafizah explained, “We handle it with the utmost confidentiality between the children, their social workers, and case workers. We make it very clear to the children that anything we share is to keep them safe.”
Curious, Connected, a Culture of Care
The impact of Artful Play is evident not just in the skills children develop, but in how they help shape the culture of the space over time.
Li Yi recalled one moment: “A child wanted to borrow a glue stick but didn’t ask very nicely. Another child suggested, ‘This is how you can say it,’ and encouraged him to try again. Then he followed and tried it. I realised she did that because she observed one of us reframing how to ask nicely, and they practised it until it became part of how they interact.”
She also noticed children showing empathy toward one another.
“When someone cried, some children asked, ‘Hey, why are you crying?’ and looked concerned,” Li Yi added. “That culture of care, even for someone they don’t know well, has been happening in the space.”
Through experiences like this, children learn that community and care are not just what they find; they are what they can create.
This March marks three years since the launch of Clubhouse @ OurSpace, a place where children in Jalan Bukit Merah can explore, create, and connect. To mark the occasion, SHINE Children and Youth Services invited one of the children in the community, Izzah, to draw the red container that has been home to the Clubhouse programmes.
We are grateful to Izzah for sharing her drawing, which includes her siblings, friends, and the SHINE and Playeum playmakers who have supported her along the way. Her illustration is a vivid reminder that safe, supportive spaces outside of home and school give children the freedom to express themselves and build meaningful relationships.
It also reflects how Playeum continues to work alongside SHINE as part of a wider ecosystem of support, ensuring that programmes like Artful Play provide consistent care and opportunities for children to thrive.
REFERENCES
Ang, S. (2023, November 8). Most public rental households have 4 or fewer people: Faishal. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/most-public-rental-households-have-4-or-fewer-persons-says-faishal
Channel NewsAsia. (2023, April 2). These children have spent almost all their lives in public rental flats. What’s been the impact? Channel NewsAsia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/children-living-public-rental-flats-concerns-impact-learning-3387816
Cheah, J. (2026, February 1). Problematic gaming prevalent among young adults in Singapore, shows need for ‘third places’: Experts. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/problematic-gaming-prevalent-among-young-adults-in-spore-shows-need-for-third-place-experts
Hooper, C. M., Ivory, V. C., & Fougere, G. (2015). Childhood neighbourhoods as third places: Developing durable skills and preferences that enhance wellbeing in adulthood. Health & Place, 34, 34–45. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353829215000519
Oldenburg, R. (1989). The great good place. Paragon House.
Stona, A.-C., Koh, G. K., Mukherjee, R., Aluquin, D., Le Minh, H., Wibowo, M. F., & Moore, A. (2025). Children’s mental health and wellbeing in Singapore: A landscape brief of promotion, prevention, and literacy programmes for children aged 3–11 (Report). Sing Health Duke‑NUS Global Health Institute. https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/docs/librariesprovider22/default-document-library/gmh_octava-report-2025.pdf?sfvrsn=5ac6032b_1
Comments